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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23505334">Tender as Ice</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndigoFudge/pseuds/IndigoFudge'>IndigoFudge</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Broken Bones, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Ice, M/M, Snow, Whump, Winter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:46:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,755</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23505334</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndigoFudge/pseuds/IndigoFudge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Months after the events of It Chapter Two, Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak rent a cabin up in northern Maine. </p><p>Eddie gets hurt and confesses something.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tender as Ice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Halfway through writing this, my dumbass brain FINALLY realized "Hey, why would they have a cabin in Maine??? Richie lives in LA???" </p><p>Uh.... mm... Maine is Vacationland. Yeah, both Eddie and Richie have childhood trauma that took place in Derry, but that's based on Bangor, which is in *Southern* Maine, and this story takes place in *Northern* Maine. That's like 4.5 hours away. So, that's my half-assed explanation.</p><p>TW for implied/referenced homophobia.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Rich, are you <em>sure</em> this is safe?" Eddie gives the wooden fence a slight push. It wobbles in its foundation. "I mean, look at it. It's got to be at least twenty years old."</p><p>"...And still standing strong." Richie slams the trunk of their car and grabs the handle of his suitcase. "It's fine. Now come on, help me carry our bags in."</p><p>Eddie puffs out a frosty breath as he takes his own suitcase and follows Richie inside their cabin. "Alright, but we can sue the owners if it breaks, right? Or at the very least, get reimbursed?" His stomach turns as he pictures the steep hill, an icy stream at the base of it.</p><p>"Sure," Richie says, setting his suitcase down and taking his boots off. "Can you just- like- shut your mouth for five minutes? This is going to be a <em>vacation.</em> And that means that you can't be running your mouth the entire time about risks and whatnot."</p><p>"Did you seriously just use the word 'whatnot?'"</p><p>"Yeah, I did. So sue me." Richie hangs his coat up, then pulls out the Tupperware container of pizza from his bag. "You hungry?"</p><p>Eddie sits down at the table, pressing one hand to his chest. His lungs ache slightly with a pain that he suspects will remain for the rest of his life. "Ah- kind of."</p><p>Richie's expression changes immediately. "Whoa, Eds, just breathe. Deep breaths, remember?" He kneels next to the chair, taking Eddie's free hand. "In, out. See? That's it."</p><p>"Thanks, Rich," Eddie says as the pain begins to subside. In its place comes exhaustion. "After we eat, I think I'm going to go to bed. 'M just... really tired."</p><p>"That's alright. You need to get your rest. Then tomorrow, the vacation can begin."</p><hr/><p>
  <em>"I think I killed It! I did! I think I killed it for real-"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Pain.</em>
</p><p>Eddie wakes up at in a cold sweat, breathing hard. His chest hurts. He can still feel the claw piercing his skin, still feel the blood bubbling from his lips. "Rich," he whispers. "Richie, I..." Then he pauses. What would he say, anyway? 'Oh, I had a nightmare?' No. He's not a baby; he can deal with this himself. All he needs is some fresh air.</p><p>According to his phone, it's 1:24 in the morning. <em>Great.</em> He climbs out of bed, eyes adjusting to the dark as he makes his way through the cabin and slips on his winter boots. Quietly, he opens the front door, and is immediately greeted by a blast of icy air to the face. A few flakes of snow stick to his eyelashes. He steps outside and closes the door behind him.</p><p>
  <em>"Eddie!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Richie... Richie."</em>
</p><p>No. No. Eddie gives a little shake of his head. That's over and done with. </p><p>A rustling sound comes from a bush several feet away from him. <em>I should have worn a jacket</em>, he thinks, edging closer to the bush. Cold fear settles in his stomach when he hears the noise again. "Hello?" </p><p>
  <em>"Richie, I gotta tell you something."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What? What's up, buddy?"</em>
</p><p>Eddie brushes off the thoughts and reaches out towards the shrub, his fingers shaking, ready to pull away the branches.</p><p>Just then, a squirrel shoots out from the bush, leaving tiny footprints in the snow. It makes Eddie jump, and he falls against the old fence.</p><p>The squirrel runs away.</p><p>Eddie lets out a sigh. "Jesus fucking Christ," he whispers, waiting for his heart to return to a normal pace. "Okay. It's okay. It was just a squirrel." The wind gusts harder, nearly making Eddie lose his footing on the icy ground. "It was just a s-"</p><p><em>Crack.</em> The noise sends a chill down Eddie's spine. He's starting to panic now -<em> I need to get back inside, I want to be in bed - </em>and his feet slip completely out from under him. More force is put on the wooden fence, and with another heavy gust of the wind, the rotting beams break in two-</p><p>And Eddie falls. His back hits the slope, knocking the breath out of him. He tries to yell, to scream for Richie, but he can't find the air. Branches tear at his pajamas and scratch his skin as he tumbles down the hill. </p><p>
  <em>Like when he fell down the slope in the cave, blood pouring freely from his chest after Pennywise fucking stabbed him.</em>
</p><p>It had hurt a lot more then. Now, his chest wound is mostly healed up, and he's growing numb from the cold, which is really bad. He can still feel the pain, but it's a fuzzy sort of pain.</p><p>He finally comes to a stop at the base of the hill. Freezing water seeps into his bones, and he notes that he's lying in a partially-frozen stream. <em>I'm going to get hypothermia,</em> he realizes, <em>and die. </em></p><p>Eddie clears his throat. "Richie," he tries. "Richie!" But his voice is nowhere near loud enough. His panic from before dies down into a crushing sadness. Because he had hoped that when he died someday, it would be with Richie, the love of his life. Richie always had a way of making bad things bearable. That's why when Eddie was under Neibolt, bleeding out, he'd tried to do the same thing: <em>"I fucked your mother,"</em> he'd said, in one last attempt to make Richie less scared. It didn't work.</p><p>He tried to stand up, but found he couldn't even move. Maybe he'd broken his spine in the fall. It was certainly possible - he'd hit so many rocks and tree trunks on the way down that he was sure to have broken at least one bone. </p><p>Both sets of stitches had been taken out almost a month ago, otherwise they would have torn in the fall and he would be in triple the danger. Not that it mattered; he was doomed anyway. People don't just fall down steep hills in the winter, land in ice-cold water, lie there the entire night, and survive.</p><p><em>If I just fall asleep, it will all be over soon</em>, he thinks.</p><p>He closes his eyes.</p><hr/><p>Richie wakes up at 6:00 AM sharp to Eddie's alarm going off. Half asleep, he reaches over Eddie's side of the bed and presses <em>Stop</em>. "Goddamnit, Eds," he grumbles, rubbing his eyes. "Why didn't you turn off your..."</p><p>But he trails off. <em>Eddie's side of the bed... </em>is empty. </p><p>"...Eds?" Richie stands up. The bathroom door is open. Eddie isn't in there either. "Eddie?" Richie walks out of the bedroom and into the main room of the cabin, his heart dropping when there's no sign of Eddie.</p><p>Except for the fact that his boots are gone.</p><p>"<em>Eds?!"</em> Richie's voice rises in pitch as he slams open the front door. "Where the fuck are you?" He turns his head, gaze sweeping for any sign that Eddie was here.</p><p>When he sees the broken fence, he wants to throw up.</p><p>"No, no, oh Jesus fuck, no!" Richie runs over to the top of the hill, almost slipping but catching himself just in time. "<em>Eddie!"</em></p><p>Richie can barely make out the crumpled form at the base of the hill, but when he does, tears come to his eyes, and he starts climbing down the slope as fast as he can.</p><p>"Eds! Eddie!" Richie yells again, the wind hurting his face. He skids a little bit on the ice, but quickly gets traction again, going faster and faster downhill until he at last drops to his knees besides Eddie. With numb fingers, he brushes Eddie's hair out of his eyes. "Eds, it's okay, I'm right here. I'm here. I'm gonna get you inside." <em>Fuck. Oh fuck. He looks dead. What if he </em>is<em> dead?</em> And for a few moments, Richie's entire world is tilting on its axis.</p><p>Eddie's eyelids crack open just the slightest bit. His lips are tinged with blue, and his skin is freezing cold.</p><p>"There you go! Yeah! I'm right here, buddy." Richie sniffles, reaching under Eddie's legs and back and scooping him up. "I'm going to put you over my shoulder, okay? So just hold tight." He gently lifts Eddie over his left shoulder, making sure he's secure before standing up.</p><p>The wind is starting to fade, which is good. Now Richie just needs to get up the slope.</p><p><em>Shit.</em> Climbing back up steep icy hills is almost impossible. Richie breathes on his hands and then rubs them together, getting some feeling back in his fingers, and he remembers something. "According to the preview photos of this cabin online, there should be a staircase over there." He squints, and can see a set of steps. Relief courses through his veins. "See? You're going to be fine. I'll climb the staircase and take you inside."</p><p>The uneven ground means that the snow seems deeper in some places than others, and it gets in Richie's boots. Soon, his feet are numb, but he ignores it, focusing on reaching the staircase. He can't lose Eddie, he just can't. It was hard enough when he thought he'd lost him down in Neibolt. Eddie didn't survive all that just to freeze to death, right? That would be unnecessarily cruel.</p><p>It takes a few more minutes for Richie to finally get to the stairs, and then he grasps both of the railings tightly. One misstep, and both he and Eddie would fall. He takes the steps one at a time. About halfway up, he comes close to falling, but gets his balance back just in time. "You still with me?" he asks, once he's at the top.</p><p>"...Richie?" Eddie says, his voice hoarse and weak. </p><p>"It's me, yeah." Richie's tears freeze on his cheeks. He has to restrain himself from sprinting to the door of the cabin, instead taking small steps so as not to slip on the ice. "I've got you."</p><p>"Richie, I love you."</p><p>Richie clenches his jaw, stepping inside the cabin and immediately lying Eddie down on the couch. His heart is beating fast. "Eds, you're not... in your right mind. You're freezing; you're not thinking clearly." <em>We </em>were<em> sharing a bed, but that was completely</em> <em>platonic</em>, Richie thinks.<em> Just two guys being friends, renting a cabin with one bed all alone in the mountains. It's all totally platonic.</em></p><p>Eddie is shivering violently. He doesn't respond.</p><p>"Right-o," Richie says, electing to forget about the whole 'I love you' thing. "You have, like, hypothermia. Hold on a second." He retrieves his phone from his bedroom, and then types in Google 'how to treat hypothermia.' <em>Skin-to-skin contact?</em> Richie blushes slightly, like a Victorian peasant boy who just caught a glimpse of a woman's ankle. <em>Scan-da-lous,</em> he thinks, his inner voice using a British accent.</p><p>Eddie's almost unconscious again, which makes it a little easier for Richie to take off both of their shirts and toss them aside. The wind makes the windows rattle in the panes. Richie kneels down next to the couch, his breath catching in his throat, and pulls Eddie into a hug.</p><p><em>Oh God, he's freezing, </em>Richie thinks, but he doesn't pull away. He feels Eddie's heart beat sluggishly, and for a moment he's back under Neibolt where it seemed like Eddie's heart hadn't been beating at all, but Richie locks that memory way in the back of his mind. "Stay with me, Spaghetti."</p><p>"I hate it when... y'call me that," Eddie slurs. " 'S stupid."</p><p>"You're stupid," says Richie, very close to breaking down into a sobbing mess. </p><p>Eddie's lips turn up into a small smile. "Asshole."</p><p>Richie bursts into tears. "Eds, you're gonna be alright. You're not allowed to die, do you hear me?" His fingers find the scar on Eddie's chest. <em>Eddie hadn't been moving, he was just sitting there with his eyes open and Neibolt was collapsing around them and Richie wanted to scream.</em> "We brought you out of Neibolt. If Penny-bitch didn't kill you, there's no way that this will." He rests his head on Eddie's shoulder. </p><p>It looks like Eddie has passed out, but then he seems to wake up. "Rich, I can't <em>breathe,</em> stop putting all your weight on me."</p><p>"Oh, sorry," Richie says dumbly, leaning back a little. He makes the mistake of looking into Eddie's eyes, and<em> goddamn it</em> his heart almost explodes. <em>W</em><em>hy didn't I realize how <strike>beautiful</strike> cool his eyes are before? They really are <strike>gorgeous</strike> interesting,</em> Richie thinks, unable to look away. </p><p>"And go get some blankets, for fuck's sake, and also why didn't you take my pants off?" Eddie either doesn't notice or doesn't care that Richie's staring at him.</p><p>Richie finds his voice again. "I thought I should buy you dinner first."</p><p>"Shut the actual fuck up," Eddie says, rolling his eyes. "I meant because I'm hypothermic and they're soaking wet. God, you're a terrible rescuer."</p><p>"Would you rather me have left you outside instead?" Richie takes the blanket down off the back of the couch and wraps it around Eddie's shoulders. "Look, here's a blanket, and I can see if they have something warm to drink."</p><p>A tear rolls down Eddie's face. He reaches out and takes Richie's hand in his own. "Hey. Thanks, Rich. Really."</p><p>Richie is lost in Eddie's deep brown eyes. "It's no problem, Eds. But... uh... do you remember anything from when you were out of it before?" <em>Holy fuck, Eddie looks so cute all wrapped up in that fluffy white blanket. </em></p><p>"Kind of." Eddie gives Richie's hand a squeeze. "I remember you carrying me up those stairs like a hero." His smile is so soft and genuine that it makes Richie's heart skip a beat.</p><p>"Um. Well. Right before I brought you into the house..." Richie sucks in a breath. He's sweating all of a sudden. "Is it hot in here? I feel like it's really, um, hot in here all of a sudden."</p><p>"Richie, what did I say?" Eddie looks at him with kind eyes.</p><p><em>Oh fuck he knows something, he knows </em>something<em> but I'm not sure what. Why is he looking at me like that? And why can't I breathe right? </em>"Uh," Richie says. "You, um, kind of said that you loved me." He looks down immediately, fixing his gaze on the floor, on the patterns in the wood grain. "You weren't thinking clearly, obviously, but-"</p><p>"Rich. Look at me." </p><p>Richie counts to five before slowly raising his head and managing to look Eddie in the eyes.</p><p>"I meant it." Eddie's expression has grown serious. </p><p>"But-" Richie tries again, and Eddie shushes him.</p><p>"Listen to me, Richie," he says. "When we were kids, I always felt funny when I looked at you. My mom used to say that gay people were sick, and that she never wanted me to be that way because then I would be sick too, and I believed her for a while. But then I grew up. I married Myra, who was only a slight improvement. And I hated it. There was a boy from my childhood that I loved, but I couldn't quite remember who he was. Then he hit the gong at Jade of the Orient, and Jesus Christ, I fell in love with him all over again. I <em>do</em> love you, Rich. It's been you my whole life."</p><p>Richie wonders if it's healthy for his heart to beat this fast. "Shit, Eds."</p><p>Eddie lets out an exasperated sigh, frowning. "I show my honest emotions to you, for once, and all you can say is-"</p><p>"No, I mean..." Richie is crying again, but he's too focused on Eddie to care. "I love you, too. Like. A lot."</p><p>"<em>Oh,</em>" Eddie says, blinking hard. </p><p>"So, we're like in love, then." Richie can't look away. </p><p>"I guess so."</p><p>There are two beats of silence, and then Richie leans forward and touches his lips to Eddie's, and they're kissing, and it's so right. Tears mix on their cheeks. Eddie reaches out, pulling Richie closer.</p><p>"Fuuuuck," Richie says when he pulls away. </p><p>Eddie smiles for a third time. "Well said, Rich. Well said." Then he winces.</p><p>"What's wrong?" Richie's eyes are wide.</p><p>"I- ah- I think I broke my ribs when I fell."</p><p>Richie feels nauseous. "That isn't good," he murmurs. "What do you want me to do?"</p><p>"Broken ribs heal on their own with rest," says Eddie. "Just... sit here with me for now."</p><p>And so Richie does.</p><p>(And if the 'sitting' turns into 'hugging' which turns into 'kissing again because they have to make up for lost time'? Well. Don't blame them.)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If anyone wants me to add more, I will!! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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